Abstract: Methods and apparatus for instance host configuration are disclosed. A system includes a plurality of instance hosts configurable for resource instances of a network-accessible service, and control servers to manage remote configuration of the instance hosts. In response to an instance configuration request from a client, a selected control server transmits, to a selected instance host, a sequence of one or more commands. The selected instance host instantiates a remote command executor. The remote command executor initiates configuration operations corresponding to the command sequence, and terminates. The selected control server provides a response to the instance configuration request, based at least in part on results of the operations initiated by the executor.

Abstract: The display of images, such as lenticular images, in a limited display space can be aided through the use of motion-based control, whereby a user can rotate and/or translate a computing device in order to cause different views of a lenticular image to be displayed. Sensors can be used to determine the motion in order to select the appropriate view to display. Approaches can further assist the user in creating lenticular images. The user can specify various configurations in which to display different views in a lenticular. If the user is capturing the images, one or more previously-acquired images can be used as a guide to help the user to align the images. Various processing can be performed to cause the individual views of the lenticular to match as closely as possible in factors such as alignment, brightness, and color range, among other such options.

Abstract: The display of images, such as lenticular images, in a limited display space can be aided through the use of motion-based control, whereby a user can rotate and/or translate a computing device in order to cause different views of a lenticular image to be displayed. Sensors can be used to determine the motion in order to select the appropriate view to display. Approaches can further assist the user in creating lenticular images. The user can specify various configurations in which to display different views in a lenticular. If the user is capturing the images, one or more previously-acquired images can be used as a guide to help the user to align the images. Various processing can be performed to cause the individual views of the lenticular to match as closely as possible in factors such as alignment, brightness, and color range, among other such options.

Abstract: The display of images, such as panoramic images, in a limited display space can be aided through the use of motion-based control, whereby a user can rotate and/or translate a computing device in order to view different portions of the image, including translating or zooming within the image. Sensors can be used to determine the motion for adjusting the display. The same or other sensors can also assist a user in capturing such an image. For example, a compass can determine the relative orientation of the device and a gyroscope can determine rotation of the device, to determine an appropriate path of motion for the capture and any deviation from that path. The user can be provided with information enabling the user to follow the path with an appropriate device orientation.

Abstract: An optically transmissive element of a computing device can be used to enable touch input. One or more light sources, such as infrared (IR) light emitting diodes (LEDs), can direct radiation into an edge or side of the transmissive element and direct light to reflect from at least one other side or edge using total internal reflection (TIR). If a user places a finger at a position where the light reflects from an edge of the element, a portion of the light will be transmitted out of the element causing a reduction in the amount of light received to one or more light sensors. By monitoring losses for one or more light sources across one or more light sensors, locations at which losses occur can be determined. These locations can correspond to various types of user input.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided herein that facilitate cost-effective, scalable and reliable archival data organization and management. In an embodiment, data are redundantly encoded and stored to provide data reliability. Further, encoded data may be stored in self-describing storage entities that provide information describing data stored therein. Information provided by self-describing storage entities may be used to construct a limited map that is usable to facilitate data placement and data location services during data storage and retrieval. Data reliability and durability is provided because information about data stored in the system is mostly contained in the storage entities themselves. Cost efficiency is provided because only a limited map is provided for efficiency purposes instead of a potentially large global index data structure.

Abstract: Systems and approaches are provided to allow for rendered audiovisual communication. An electronic device can be used to capture image information relating to physical features of a user. A model can be generated from the image information, and the model may be used to render audiovisual communication information from image and audio captured in real time. The rendered audiovisual communication data can simulate live video conferencing with substantial performance gains over conventional approaches to video conferencing. When the image capturing component of the electronic device is capable of depth imaging, stereo imaging, or other imaging techniques, the rendered audiovisual communication can be further enhanced with 3-D rendering of the user. Other aspects of audiovisual data, such as speech, background, and lighting conditions can also be rendered or synthesized to improve audiovisual communication.

Abstract: Techniques are described for providing managed virtual computer networks whose configured logical network topology may have one or more virtual networking devices, such as by a network-accessible configurable network service, with corresponding networking functionality provided for communications between multiple computing nodes of a virtual computer network by emulating functionality that would be provided by the networking devices if they were physically present.

Abstract: Highlights from a community of users highlighting portions of an electronic digital content are analyzed and popular highlights determined. The popular highlights are then distributed to the users.

Abstract: A method and system for placing an order to purchase an item via the Internet. The order is placed by a user at a client system and received by a server system. The client system can display information identifying the item and, for each of multiple procurement options having information related to ordering the identified item, can display an indication of the procurement option such that selection of the displayed indication represents an ordering of the identified item using the information of the procurement option. In response to selection of a displayed indication, the client system can send to a server computer a request to order the identified item using the information of the procurement option for the selected indication.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for generating a location-based ranking for a set of measurements. A geographic rank application receives a request from a client to generate a geographic ranking for a specific task measurement associated with the execution of a task. The geographic rank application develops a list of clients located within the specified geographic area that have a task measurement associated with the execution of the specified task. Upon developing the list, the geographic rank application gathers the corresponding task measurements to generate the ranking and returns the ranking the requesting client.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system and associated processes for transparent client-side cryptography are provided. In this system, some or all of a user's private data can be encrypted at a client device operated by the user. The client can transmit the encrypted user data to a content site that hosts a network application, such as a social networking application, financial application, or the like. The content site can store the private data in its encrypted form instead of the actual private data. When the content site receives a request for the private data from the user or optionally from other users (such as social networking friends), the server can send the encrypted user data to a client associated with the requesting user. This client, if operated by an authorized user, can decrypt the private data and present it to the authorized user.

Abstract: Various embodiments enable a user to capture image information with one or more cameras of a computing device for generating a three-dimensional model of an object and further to enable subsequent users to refine the model by submitting additional image information. For example, an ecommerce service could receive image information from a user for a product offered for sale that was captured with a computing device. With the image information, the service can generate a three-dimensional model of the product and provide the model for display through a website for customers interested in the product to view.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for identifying relevant browsing and/or purchasing activity associated with one or more contacts of a user having a user account with an electronic commerce system. In one embodiment, a determination is made as to whether each contact is associated with a different user account with the electronic commerce system. If so, network content comprising such relevant browsing and/or purchasing history may be presented to the user.

Abstract: A computing device includes a chassis having a width that is equal to or less than half of the width of a standard slot of a rack. A circuit board assembly with at least one processor is coupled to the chassis in a primarily horizontal orientation. One or more rows of mass storage devices (such as hard disk drives) are coupled to the chassis. At least one of the rows of mass storage devices includes a stack of mass storage devices.

Abstract: Some examples determine when to accumulate updates to a display device. In some implementations, a display manager may determine that a graphical user interface element, such as a user interface window, has opened or closed. The display manager may accumulate updates to a display device for a period of time or until a predetermined number of the updates have been received. After the period of time has elapsed or after the predetermined number of the updates have been received, the display manager may send a single update to the display device. The single update may include or may be equivalent to the one or more updates.

Abstract: Described herein are systems, computer readable mediums, and methods for merging a source file with a target table using different merging processes. The source file may be logically segregated into new records and update records. The update records may be logically segregated into a first update record section and a second update record section. The target table may be logically segregated into a target table section. In one implementation, a server may use a hash merging process to merge the first update record section with the target table section and use an index merging process to merge the second update record section with the target table.

Abstract: An electronic device performs functionality adjustments based on a determined attention level of a user of the device. In some embodiments, the device automatically enters a sleep mode upon determining that the user has fallen asleep. The device may automatically modify functionality of the device such that disturbances to the user is minimized or power consumption is reduced. For example, the device may lower the volume of a ring tone or deactivate a communication channel. In some instances, the device may determine that the user is half-awake or paying an intermediate level of attention and activate an intermediate mode where at least some functionality is modified or adjusted. A device subsequently determining that the user is fully awake or actively engaged with the device causes the device to return to a standard mode of operation, where functionality of the device is adjusted to one appropriate for the user's attention level.

Abstract: A remote browsing and searching process is directed to the generation and management of a remote browse session at a network computing provider. Responsive to a search request, the network computing provider provides search results corresponding to historical content representations associated with content previously requested by the client computing device, or search results corresponding to content representations associated with current content, or to both. The network computing and storage provider may determine the search results based on a navigation path associated with a previous request for content, based on navigation paths of other client computing devices, based on relationships or differences between various versions of content, or based on any number of other factors.

Abstract: As exterior routing protocols generally do not provide information about the internal routing paths of an autonomous system, a particular autonomous system has limited information about the internal health of other autonomous systems. However, if a monitoring system has access to routing data and/or other network data from multiple points of an autonomous system, the monitoring system can estimate, with some accuracy, the health of the autonomous system. In turn, by monitoring at least some of autonomous systems forming a larger internetwork, such as the Internet, the monitoring system can estimate the overall health of at least portions of the internetwork.